Tag: Fred Lynn

The Saturday Fungo

Larry Sheets – #9

After the misery of the 1989 season, Bill Lajoie got to work in the offseason adding hitters to a lousy roster.

Cecil Fielder, Tony Phillips and Lloyd Moseby were the headliners, but an under-the-radar guy was lefthanded-hitting outfielder Larry Sheets.

After six years in Baltimore, Sheets was dealt to Detroit for infielder Mike Brumley.

Here are five things to know about Sheets’ time with the Tigers:

  • Final line: 131 games, .261 average, 10 HR, 52 RBI, .710 OPS
  • All of his home runs came off right handers, and all but one of his RBI came of righties.
  • Bonus item: He’s the father of White Sox outfielder/first baseman Gavin Sheets.

Birthdays

Jack Lazorko and the late Ed Gremminger

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 363 9/9 — Rarity: 7

An all-Tiger, lowest-rarity Grid today!

See you tomorrow.

The Monday Fungo

Al Cowens – #10

Stop me if you’ve read this here before: When the Tigers traded Jason Thompson for Al Cowens, I was not a happy 12 year old.

But Cowens was an intriguing player to me because he was on those great Royals teams in the late-’70s.

Presumably the Tigers and Angels, at the time of the trade, thought a change of scenery would help both players — and it seemed to work.

  • Cowens was hitting .227 with the Angels with a homer, 17 RBI and a .597 OPS. As a Tiger, he hit .280 in 108 games, with five homers, 42 RBI and a .709 OPS. All told, his 1980 line was: .268, six homers, 59 RBI and a .684 OPS.
  • Thompson hit just .214 with four homers, 20 RBI and a .638 OPS, in Detroit, but warmed up quickly in Anaheim: .317, 17 home runs, 70 RBI and a .965 OPS. He finished the year at .288, 21 home runs, 90 RBI and .873 OPS.

Just four days after the trade, Cowens made his Tigers debut* against the Angels on May 30, 1980 at Tiger Stadium. He batted fifth, going 2 for 5 with a run scored.

*Thompson made his Angels debut on May 28 against the Rangers, pinch hitting for catcher Tom Donohue. He hit a bases-loaded double off Sparky Lyle, clearing the bases, and scored when Dickie Thon drove him home.

In 1981, Cowens appeared in 85 games for the Tigers, hitting .261 with one home run, 18 RBI and a .667 OPS … and that was it for his time in Detroit.

On March 28, 1982, the Mariners purchased his contract and he had a nice bounce-back year in Seattle, hitting .270 with 20 home runs, 78 RBI and an .800 OPS.

Cowens’ final game with the Mariners, and in the majors, was June 8, 1986. The club released him four days later.

Birthdays

The late Bill Lawrence and Art Ruble.

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 344 8/9 — Rarity: 129

See you tomorrow.

The Saturday Fungo: Feb. 3

Happy Birthday, Trixie

Happy 89th Birthday to former Tigers infielder and long-time first base coach Dick Tracewski.

He was a player on the 1968 World Series champs, a coach on the ‘84 team and, officially, once an interim Tigers manager: filling in between the fired Les Moss and the hired Sparky Anderson in 1979.

Ten years later Sparky took a short leave of absence due to the abysmal ‘89 team’s losing and Tracewski took over for a few games, but Baseball-Reference only lists the ‘79 games in his official managerial record.

He was also a World Series winner with the 1963 and ’65 Dodgers.

Other birthdays: Fred Lynn, Joe Coleman and the late Wayne Comer.

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 307 8/9 — Rarity: 145

Two former Tigers in today’s grid.

I hope you’re having a great weekend.

See you tomorrow.

Tuesday Tananas: Fred Lynn, Ted Power and Don Draper

bananas.jpgIs it just me or were there a lot of Aug. 31 trades made back in the day? Back in the late ’80s and early ’90s it seemed that Oakland was always adding a big name at the deadline — Willie McGee, Ruben Sierra, Harold Baines. Just asking.